


i can't lie (you had me at hello)

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, harry works in a toystore and thinks louis is fit, i don't even know myself, louis sees right through harry but thinks he's cute so, what is this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 01:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2832785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You know you’re not subtle at all, Harry,” the man says, grinning. “You’re quite obvious, actually.”</p><p>Harry blushes, but he manages to say, “Yeah well, whatever. I hardly think it’s fair, though, that you know my name and I don’t know yours.”</p><p>“Well, you are the one working here with your name tag pinned to your chest.” The man wrinkles his nose. “Flirting with customers though? Is that a regular part of work or am I just special?”</p><p>Harry sputters. “I’m not—I wasn’t flirting.”</p><p> </p><p>(harry works in a toystore. louis is looking for christmas presents.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	i can't lie (you had me at hello)

**Author's Note:**

> hello friends so if you follow me on tumblr you might've seen my agonized posts about not being able to write for two solid months because of uni, a lack of proper words, and something like the most frustrating case of writer's block ever. so earlier i was like, i can't believe i didn't write anything for christmas (i did have 3.5k of smut written down but it's so fucking repetitive i deleted it and cried at my inability to produce anything decent) and that just won't do so i?? just opened?? a word document?? and after over two painful hours here is something??
> 
> this is probably stupid and i'm sorry for that but this is all i can do right now i promise to try and come up with something better later. but i hope this is cute and enjoyable, at least? if not, well. i fail i'm so sorry.
> 
> title from 'mr. loverboy' by little mix because it's what i'm listening to right now.

There’s a fine-looking young man standing in front of the stuffed animals section and Harry is maybe staring. Possibly. Okay, definitely—he’s _definitely_ staring, which. Creepy and highly inappropriate, Styles.

He’s done rearranging the turtles and the frogs by the end of the shelf so he should be going now, maybe off to help Niall who he thinks is in charge of setting up the new toy cars that just came in earlier that morning, but. The man seems lost on what to buy and Harry has been told from day one of working here that it’s his top priority to help a customer out.

With that thought in mind, Harry ducks behind the shelf for a second. He pulls his phone out of his skinny jeans’ pocket and checks his reflection in the screen, makes sure that his hair spills out in waves _just right_ from underneath the Santa hat they’re all made to wear for the season. Not that Harry’s complaining about the small addition to the uniform, unlike most of the staff. He’s nothing if not enthusiastic, always getting into the holiday spirit even though he’s a fully-grown twenty-year-old uni student with his own flat and a part-time job.

But whatever, he’s still pretty much a kid at heart. And there’s nothing wrong with spreading love and joy to the world especially this season, anyway.

Once he makes sure that he looks decent, he pockets his phone back and peeks behind the shelf. The man is still there, now holding an average-sized teddy bear in his delicate-looking hands. He’s staring down at the toy with this intense look of concentration, as though the stuffed animal holds the very secrets of the universe and he’s waiting for it to reveal those very secrets to him.

With the man properly distracted, Harry makes his move. He straightens his back and approaches the man, witty introduction already formulated in his mind, and clears his throat once he’s near enough.

The man looks up at the sound.

Harry loses whatever introduction he was about to say when blue eyes—ocean blue? Icy blue? Sky blue? What shade are those eyes exactly, even—look at him questioningly. Harry’s so unprepared for the man’s eyes to be _that_ pretty so he ends up blurting out, “Can I help you with anything?”

Blue eyes look up at him curiously, and Harry realizes that he’s actually a bit taller even though it’s obvious that this man is older. “Yes,” the man says, after a short pause, eyes glued to Harry’s name tag. “Yes, you can, Harry.” His voice is a bit high and sounds like honey, like thick warm blankets wrapped around you while you sit in front of the fireplace and enjoy a good mug of hot chocolate while soft Christmas music plays in the background. Harry should’ve planned his approach better.

“Uh, okay,” he stammers, clearing his throat and turning to the shelf. “What exactly are you looking for?”

The man turns to the displays as well, and Harry takes the opportunity to take in his features. Christ, the man’s _gorgeous_ up close, profile sharp and jaw dusted with stubble, cheekbones so defined Harry wonders whether he’ll cut himself if he reaches out and touches them with the tip of his index finger. He’s got messy brown hair and a cute nose, too, and when Harry glances down at his hands he thinks he sees ink peeking out of the sleeve of the man’s jumper.

The man clears his throat, and Harry looks back up quickly, face flushed at the embarrassment of being caught staring. Great. He’s acting like a proper freak in front of customers—if this keeps up and he ends up getting reported to the manager, he’s not getting that Christmas bonus.

Except, the man doesn’t look bothered. In fact, there’s a very attractive smirk on his very attractive face and Harry only feels his cheeks get hotter. He coughs awkwardly, shuffling a step away subtly. “So, um. You looking to buy anything for anyone?”

God damn it, he was taught how to talk to customers months ago when he first started. But it seems like everything Harry’s ever learned is just flying out of his brain the longer he spends standing close to this handsome man, and why did Harry even decide to approach him again? Whatever his reason was, is it really worth the pain of embarrassing himself in front of someone so attractive?

He’s in the middle of questioning every single life decision he’s ever made that led up to this moment—his choice of uni, his choice of flat, even his choice of being flatmates with Niall because he’s the one who suggested they apply here—when the man says in a clearly amused voice, “Yeah, I am. Looking to buy something for the kids.”

And, oh. _Kids._ Harry’s heart has never been crushed so quickly like this before. “Oh. Okay, um, are you shopping with your wife right now?” Which is a highly personal question, but Harry has to know which person is lucky enough to snag this man.

“No,” the man snorts, “I don’t have a wife.”

“Oh.” Harry is confused. “Um, husband?”

“Nope. I’m single.”

A single dad, then. Harry nods in understanding. He has a chance. “That’s great, what you’re doing. Raising children on your own can be tough, but it’s nice to see that you’re dedicated in making them happy.”

Now the man looks very amused, clearly holding back his laughter. There’s a few seconds where Harry just stares, wondering whether he’s said something wrong, and then the man’s bursting out into a full-body laugh. Harry frowns because, well, he’s getting laughed at and that’s not every nice now is it, but at the same time a part of his brain is busy recording the sound of the man’s laughter, bright and loud and even better-sounding than the bells that ring on top of the church towers after mass.

When the man straightens back up he’s got this wide smile on his face, eyes crinkled at the corners. Something in Harry’s chest flutters.

“I’m not married and I don’t have children,” the man informs Harry, still sounding highly amused. “In fact I am very single and very available right now. When I said kids I meant my younger sisters and one brother, there’s six of them that I need to find Christmas presents for.”

“Oh,” Harry says, blinking. Then again, when the meaning of the man’s words fully register, “ _Oh_.”

“You know you’re not subtle at all, Harry,” the man says, grinning. “You’re quite obvious, actually.”

Harry blushes, but he manages to say, “Yeah well, whatever. I hardly think it’s fair, though, that you know my name and I don’t know yours.”

“Well, you _are_ the one working here with your name tag pinned to your chest.” The man wrinkles his nose. “Flirting with customers though? Is that a regular part of work or am I just special?”

Harry sputters. “I’m not—I wasn’t _flirting_.”

The man considers this for a second, before nodding seriously. “You’re right, that wasn’t flirting. That was a very poor attempt at it, if anything.”

Harry huffs, cheeks still flushed, and considers turning around and just leaving this man by himself.

But then the man’s shrugging, small smile on his face as he adds, “It’s very cute though, so I don’t really mind.”

Harry blinks.

A hand is extended towards him, suddenly. “It’s Louis, by the way.”

“Louis,” Harry tries, secretly liking the way the name rolls off his tongue. He takes Louis’ hand and shakes it, taking note of the difference in the sizes of their hands. Louis’ is smaller and his fingers are shorter, but his grip is firm and sure, strong. Harry almost doesn’t want to let go, but he doesn’t really want to embarrass himself more than he already has, so. He pulls his hand away and gestures at the name tag on his chest. “I’m Harry, as you already know.”

“Nice to meet you, Harry,” Louis says, and he sounds an odd combination of fond and amused. “Now, do you think these matching bears”—he holds up two bears of the same design but in different colors, one light brown and one white—“will be an appropriate gift for twin babies?”

In the end Louis gets the bears, a giant stuffed cat, two princess dolls, a 200-piece puzzle, a gameboard, and a bunch of colorful bracelets for his sisters. He doesn’t let Harry leave even after they’ve moved out of the stuffed animals section, and Harry’s pretty sure he’s just abandoned his work completely so that he can let this strange man drag him around the store.

Technically though, Harry is helping a customer out, so if anyone calls him out he’ll say just that.

“Right,” Louis says once he’s got a pushcart full of toys, “I think these are enough for the girls and little Ernie. Thanks again for helping, Harold.”

“That’s not actually my name,” Harry points out, but he’s smiling, cheeks dimpling.

Louis waves a hand, unconcerned. He seems reluctant to head for the checkouts, though, eyes trained on Harry. “I guess it’d look odd if I asked you to accompany me in purchasing these.”

Harry bites his lip, nodding. “Yeah, pretty odd. I mean, I think some people thought it was weird enough that I’ve been following you around everywhere.” In fact Harry’s pretty sure he saw Niall watching them curiously from between shelves a few minutes ago, eyes wide and a bit disbelieving. He’s probably going to get asked a lot of questions later. Harry’s already thinking of possible-answers to these possible-questions.

“So, goodbye then, I guess,” Louis says, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

Harry feels a bit sad, but he puts on a smile. “I’ll be working till the twenty-third.”

Louis’ eyes light up at that. “So you’re free on the twenty-fourth?”

“Yeah, I am,” Harry nods. He’s not going back to Holmes Chapel this year since Anne and Robin will be going on a romantic trip together to Paris for the holidays, and Gemma’s going to be spending the holidays with her girlfriend in their new, posh London flat.

“Brilliant,” Louis says, and he sounds delighted. “If you don’t have any plans I’m throwing a party—well, my mate Zayn’s throwing a party for me. It’s my birthday, you see—”

“Wait, your birthday is on Christmas Eve?” Harry asks, cutting Louis off.

“Yep. Turning twenty-three. I feel old just thinking about it, to be honest.”

Harry processes this for a moment, and then—

“Wait, Zayn? Did you say you have a mate named Zayn?”

Louis nods slowly. “Yes.” He narrows his eyes. “Why? Do you know him?”

“Are we talking about Zayn Malik, by any chance?” Harry asks.

Louis looks a little surprised. “Yeah, that’s him.”

Harry can’t believe this. He looks around for Niall, but he doesn’t see the blond anywhere near so he just turns back to Louis with a wide grin. “Do you know a bloke named Niall Horan, by any chance? Blond, loud, Irish?”

“You mean Zayn’s boyfriend.” It’s not really a question, and it’s a second later that something clicks in Louis’ head. He looks around as well. “Now that you mention it, I do remember Zayn mentioning once that Niall works here. I can’t believe I’m just remembering this now. Wait.” He looks back at Harry suddenly, blue eyes wide. Right now, under the bright lights of the store, they look a bit like an ocean in the summer, bright and blue. “You’re Harry Styles?”

Harry blinks, a little startled at the sound of his full name coming out of Louis’ mouth. “Uh, yeah. That’s me.”

“I can’t believe this,” Louis says, echoing Harry’s thoughts from earlier. He shakes his head to himself. “Zayn’s been trying to get me to meet this Harry friend of Niall’s for ages now!”

“Really? Niall’s, um. He’s never really mentioned you,” Harry says, apologetic. He’s also trying to mentally communicate with his best friend, asking him through brainpower alone why he never introduced Harry to his boyfriend’s very fit friend, or even mention Louis’ existence even once.

Louis doesn’t look bothered, though. “Well isn’t this a funny coincidence? Let me introduce myself again, then. And properly this time.” He lets go of his cart and turns to face Harry fully, clearing his throat and extending a hand. “Hello. My name’s Louis Tomlinson, twenty-two years old turning twenty-three very soon, and I’m Zayn Malik’s partner in crime and mischief.”

Harry smiles, feeling his cheeks pink when he accepts Louis’ hand again, much like he did earlier. The only difference is that this time, there’s a lighter, warmer feeling in his chest. “Hi. I’m Harry Styles, twenty years old and Niall’s best mate.”

Louis nods once, squeezing Harry’s hand before letting go. “You’re definitely coming to my birthday party, by the way. Niall’s coming, too, so you can’t back out! I’ll be very sad if I don’t see you there.”

Harry just grins, wide enough that he feels his cheeks dimple. Louis pushes his cart forward then, watching Harry for a moment longer, before he’s smiling and saying, “Well, I’m off for now. Gotta get these all wrapped. I’ll see you again, Harry Styles.”

Harry bites on his lip, trying to stop himself from smiling too much. It’s a futile attempt. “I’ll see you again, Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis waves, and then he’s walking away, pushing his cart towards the counters.

Harry stands there for a moment, feeling his heart do little flutters in his chest, much like a teenager with a crush with hearts shooting out of his eyes.

-

Niall shoves something onto his lap when they get back to their flat later that afternoon.

“I see you’ve met Louis Tomlinson,” the blond says, grinning. “He told me to give you this.”

Harry stares at the wrapped present now in his hands, eyes wide. “When did he—”

“You were too busy staring at the stuffed animals all starry-eyed to notice anything.” Niall’s grin turns into a smirk. “Now go open that, I need to text Lou and tell him I’ve successfully given you his present.” And with that, Niall walks out of the room. Harry makes a mental note to ask him for Louis’ number later, and also demand why Niall’s never mentioned Louis Tomlinson’s existence before today.

But yeah, that’s for later.

Turning back to his gift, Harry carefully rips the top of the wrap open before reaching inside. His hand comes into contact with something soft, and he laughs in surprise when he pulls out a frog, obviously from the stuffed animals he was organizing earlier. He stares at it, smiling goofily to himself, before he picks at the folded card taped to the wrapper. He opens it, eyes scanning over Louis’ slightly messy handwriting, heart thudding in his chest.

_i saw this and thought it looked like u, by the way! so i thought, why not get it for u?  
it was a pleasure being assisted by u, harold. a+ service :)_

Louis signed his name below the message with a small x, and Harry feels a giggle coming up. He holds it back and tries to control the flush he feels forming on his cheeks, but then his eyes land even further below the card and he sees a string of digits scrawled along the bottom.

Well. It looks like he doesn’t need to ask Niall for Louis’ number after all.

This time he does giggle, cheeks feeling warm and smile wide enough to split his face in half, heart doing pitter-patters in his chest and butterflies fluttering pleasantly inside his stomach.

It’s gonna be a good Christmas this year.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://black-and-scarlet.tumblr.com/) and i remade my [twitter](https://twitter.com/aydenmarch) for reasons (i deleted @MarchieTheHare). i hope this doesn't suck too much happy holidays everyone my tiniest son is finally turning 3 tomorrow can you believe!!


End file.
